Abstract: A device for detecting changes in surface tension of eluant from a liquid chromatography column has in a preferred embodiment an arrangement for suspending a droplet of liquid eluting from a liquid chromatography column, a pair of electrodes in contact with the droplet, and a meter for measuring a quantity related to the resistance of the droplet of liquid.A method for measuring the surface tension of a liquid includes forming a droplet of the liquid, causing the droplet to be supported by support elements, causing each of a pair of electrodes to come into contact with a different region of the droplet, and measuring a quantity related to the resistance of the droplet.